MED-EL Launches Free Elementary Educator Resources

May 2010

Editor: The folks at Med-El have come up with some resources to help elementary school educators teach kids about hearing loss and cochlear implants. Here's their press release.

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The MED-EL Corporation, a worldwide leader in hearing implant technology, announced today the launch of "Mellie's Teaching Kit," a free resource that educators can use to teach children about hearing, hearing loss and cochlear implants. The kit includes: Mellie the MED-Elephant plush toy with cochlear implants; Mellie and Her Cochlear Implants story books; and, Mellie and Her Cochlear Implants coloring books. The kit can be customized to allow enough coloring books for each child in the classroom. MED-EL also launched the "Kid's Corner" section of its website, with presentations featuring Mellie that compliment information in the teaching kit. Materials are suitable for Kindergarten through elementary school and can be tailored for specific grade levels.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has designated May as Better Speech and Hearing Month to raise awareness about communication disorders and to promote treatment that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems with speaking, understanding, or hearing.

"We have heard from many teachers and parents looking for ways to help children understand hearing, hearing loss and cochlear implants. Teachers may have a child with hearing loss using either hearing aids or cochlear implants in their classroom. Some may be teaching a classroom of children with hearing aids or cochlear implants and want them to be better informed about their devices," said Darla Franz, MA CCC-A, Director of Education and Corporate Communications at MED-EL North America. "Some children using hearing aids or cochlear implants grow up with little understanding of their own situation. We developed 'Mellie's Teaching Kit' so that teachers would have a fun way to teach the entire class about these subjects."

The kit is also appropriate for parents who are interested in teaching both a child with hearing loss and their siblings about hearing loss and cochlear implants.

Mellie and Her Cochlear Implants is a colorful book about Mellie, a young elephant and her family. It tells the story of the family's journey from the discovery that Mellie is deaf, through the process of cochlear implant candidacy, surgery, fitting and use of her cochlear implants. The wordless companion coloring book is ideal for parents and teachers to use along with the story book. For young children the colored pages can be used for children to re-tell the story. Older children can write the story on each page.

Additional online tools are available to support the "Mellie Teaching Kit" in MED-EL's "Kids' Corner" section of www.medel.com. Mellie is featured in animated slide presentations that teach about hearing, hearing loss and cochlear implants through her personal journey. Kids' Corner was designed for primary school-age children; however, it can be easily adapted for older students.

Topics or chapters included in Kids' Corner are:

How hearing works - illustrates the journey of sound from the ear to the brain

About hearing loss - reviews hearing loss from damage to the outer, middle and inner ear

How well do you hear? - demonstrates different sounds on an audiogram by clicking on individual graphics, such as bees buzzing or an airplane

What is a CI? - covers the components of a cochlear implant and how it helps to replicate sound

How to get a CI - describes the steps necessary to receive a cochlear implant, including surgery

What is life like with a CI? - looks at care of the device for active children

How to Order a "Mellie Teaching Kit"

Educators can order this FREE resource by calling (888) 633-3524 or by sending an email request to usamarketing@medel.com.

Pediatric Hearing Loss in the United States

Hearing loss occurs in approximately 12,000 children each year (up to 3 of every 1,000 births). According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), about 28 million people in the U.S. have some degree of reduced hearing. An estimated 15 percent of children and teenagers in the United States have a temporary or permanent hearing loss in one or both ears. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association reports that children who are hard of hearing will find it much more difficult than children who have normal hearing to learn vocabulary, grammar, word order, idiomatic expressions, and other aspects of verbal communication.

About MED-EL Corporation